Leadership for Enhancing Coexistence: Promoting Social Cohesion Among Groups in Pluralistic Societies

By: Alan B. Slifka

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Synopsis: Enhancing social cohesion and coexistence between populations of different people is one of the most important challenges of our time. We must develop the knowledge and skills we need to live together more peacefully. Although it is critical to improve relationships between countries, a growing number of conflicts--like those in the Balkans, the Middle East, and many parts of Africa--begin within countries before spilling over their borders. Governments often seem unaware of their responsibility to build and maintain social cohesion, or their society's ability to recognize that all its citizens have equal rights while acknowledging and valuing their differences. In this chapter, the author discusses barriers to coexistence (using the conflict between Jews and Arabs in Israel as an example) and what leadership at the government level can do, as well as what individual leaders can do to promote coexistence. This chapter was previously published as chapter 11 of "Crossing the Divide: Intergroup Leadership in a World of Difference."